Car-brake.



PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903-.

I s. H. GRADEN.

GAR BRAKE.

APBLIOATION FILED DBO. 19. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

JNVENTUH ATTOR/V WITNESSES:

flaw/,2

UNITED STATES? PATENT ()FFICE.

SAMUEL H. GRADEN, OF PARKVILLE, MISSOURI.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 735,246, dated August 4,1903. Application filed December 19. 1902. Serial No.135,868. (Nomodel.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL H. GRADEN, a

citizen of the United States of America, residtrack-rail under thecombined weight of the wheel and car; second, to apply theemergency-brake in either a forward or reverse movement of the car;

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts, such as will be first fully described, and specifically pointedout in the drawings.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a railway-truck, showing thetrack-rails and the improved brake. Fig. 2 is a detail side view of oneof the car-wheels upon the track-rail and of the novel brake in itsnormalposition when acting to brake the wheels, and also showing thebrake-shoe in a position in dotted lines for blocking the wheel andgripping the track-rail. Fig. 3 is a detail rear end view of thebrake-shoe and the rail-gripping device. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionalview of the brakeshoe. Fig. 5 is a view of the under side of thebrake-shoe, showing the serrations or teeth in the removablerail-gripping plate. Fig.6 is a detail vertical sectional view taken atright angles to and upon the line was of Fig. 2.

. Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings. 1

Referring to the drawings, represents the horizontal frame of anordinary railway-car truck, which sustains pivotally one end of the car.i

12 12 represent the rear car-wheels in the truck, whichare flanged, asusual, to which 'the novel brake, for convenient illustration,

is applied. 1

1 1 14 are the car-axles connecting the forward and rear pair ofcar-wheels.

Patented August 4, 1903.

' 15 15 are the journal-boxes for the axles adjacent to the outer sidesof the wheels, and l 16 16 are the connecting frames or beams connectingone journal-box with another upon the same side of the truck. 18 is thetransverse swing-beam, supported at each end by the beams 16 16.

19 19 are the brackets, near the ends of the swing-beam 18, supportingthe longitudinal beams 20 20 of the truck-frame 10, which beams are inposition directly above the carwheels 12 12. 21 is the pivot-beamextending from one of the longitudinal beams 20 to the other and locateddirectly above the swingbeam 18, and upon which beam 21 one end of thecar is supported.

22 represents a portion of the platform of a 1 car, supporting thebrake-spindles hereinafter described. 1

17 17 are the track-rails.

Upon the under side of the longitudinal beam 20 of the truck-frame 10and directly above the peripheral surface of the car-wheel 12 is astationary sleeve or hanger 23, the under side of which sleeve is curvedin the arc of a circle concentric with the periphery of the car-wheeland arranged the proper distance in height above the periphery of saidwheel to be clear of the wheel or of any adhering sub stance which wouldpass the sleeve in the circle of rotation of the wheel. The sleeve 23 issupported in position by the flanges 24: 24, which extend upwardly uponthe outer and inner edges of the beam 20 and aesecured rigidly to saidbeam by the bolts 25. Upon the inner curved surface of the sleeve 23,which is preferably smooth, is a movable yoke 26, which yoke or bar isalso curved in the same degree as the inner surfaces of the sleeve 23,the ends of the bar which extend a short distance from the ends of thesleeve being forked, and in said forked ends are fitted the tongue 27upon the upper ends of the inwardly-curved plates 28 28, which platesextend downwardly both in advance of and in rear of the car-wheel. Thetongues 27 are pivotally connected with the bar 26, so as to formahinge-joint and permit of the movement of the plates outwardly.

3O 30 are the brake blocks or shoes with the upper rear ends of whichshoes are connected the lower ends of the plates 28 28, the under sideof which shoes normally are in position a short distance above the uppersurface of the track-rails 17 17. The brake'shoes are nearly of thewidth of the peripheral surface of the car-wheel and are triangular inform, the base being directed toward the rail. The inner side of theshoe is curved inwardly to correspond with the curved surface of theperiphery of the wheels. On the inner side of the brake-shoes aredownwardly-extended flanges 31. v In the under surface of each one ofthe shoes 30 is a longitudinal groove 32, the sides of which groove areinclined upwardly and outwardly, so as to form a dovetail groove, thewidth of I the groove at the rear end of the shoe being I a crank-arm 37on the lower end of a spindle' slightly wider than at the forward end.In the groove 32 is fitted a flat plate or bar 33, the under surface ofwhich is serrated or formed with teeth the edges of which are sharpenedand case-hardened, so as to grip the surface of the track-rail.

Upon the upper surface of each of the yokes 26 26 are the lugs 34, withwhich are pivotally connected the yoke-operating rods 35 35. The forwardends of the rods 35 35 are bent in a curved line inwardly and beneaththe transverse beam 21 and are welded together, from which a single rod36 extends toward the forward end of the truck and beneath the portionof the platform 22 of the car, as seen in Fig. l, and connected with theouter end of 38, which spindle extends upwardly through the platform,and upon the upper end of the spindle is hand-wheel 39.

The brake-shoes 30 30 in rear of the rear wheels 12 12 and opposite eachother are connected together by the connecting-rod 40. With the rod 40is connected the rear end of a brake-rod 41, the forward end of whichrod extends to a position beneath the platform of the car, or, as shownin the drawings, beneath the portion 22 of said platform, and with saidend is connected a chain 42, the free end of which chain is connectedwith an enlargement 43 on the lower end of a brakeoperating spindle 44,the upper end of which spindle extends through the portion 22 of theplatform, and upon the upper end of said spindle is a hand-wheel 45.Upon the brakeoperating spindle 38 is a disk 46, which is notched in itsperiphery, and upon the portion 22 of the platform is a lever 47, whichis pivoted between its ends to the lugs 48 upon the upper surface of thesaid portion 22 of the platform of the car, one end of the leverengaging the notch in the disk 46 and being thrown out of the notch bythe depression of the outer end of the lever.

The curved shoe-supporting plates 28 are connected with the brake-shoesby an eyebolt 49, and with the eyebolt is connected one end of a chain50, the other end of the chain extending loosely upward and is connectedwith the under side of the longitudinal beams 20 20 of the truck-frame10.

In the operation of the invention and for the purpose of checking themovement of the car-wheels the brake-shoes are employed normally as anordinary brake, the position of which adjacent to the same car-Wheelsand above the surface of the track-rail being equal in distance, thebrake-shoes being operated by the brake-rod 44, which winds the chain 42around the enlargement upon the lower end of the brake-operatingrod.WVhen from loss of control of the car an emergency occurs for the suddenstopping of the movement of the car-wheels by the operator and theordinary application of the brake-shoes is inefficient to arrest themovement of the wheels, the lever 47 is thrown out of the notch in thedisk 46 by the foot and the brake-operating rod 36 moved forward toarrest the forward momenturn of the car-wheels and also moving the yokes26 26 in the sleeves 23 23 a sufficient distance until the underserrated surface of the shoes come into contact with the upper surfaceof the track-rails 17 17, and at the same moment the car-wheels underthe momentum of the car contact with the brakeshoes and crowding andriding upon the curved inner surface of the shoes the weight of the carand wheels forces the serrated surfaces of the plates 32 forcibly intocontact with the track-rails and causes a resistance to any forwardmovement of the brake-shoes. The arrest of the car-wheels is thereforeevident and the action of the brake-shoes suffi cient to hold the caruntil disengaged, the disengagement being made by moving the cartruckrearwardly a slight distance to release the shoes, and upon operatingthe brake-rod 36 the brake-shoes are brought into a horizontal positionwith each other and the brakeshoes operated to brake the wheels, asfirst described. When the brake-shoes are thrust upon the track-rail andthe movement of the 7 wheels arrested, the chains 50 are nearly taut andserves to resist the strain thrown on the brake-shoes by the car-wheels.

The improved brake is applicable to all the car-wheels of a truck andthechains employed, as in the instance referred to. In car-trucks employingcar-springs in which the vibration is considerable the truck-frame isbuilt the proper height, so the sleeves 23 are always out of contactwith the wheels in the vertical movement of the truck-frame. Theserrated bar 33 is adapted to be removed easily and replaced by anotherbar. AS the emergency which would require the sudden arrest of the carwould be likely to be infrequent, the expense is nominal for theremoval. the brake-shoes to guide the brake-blocks into position incontacting with track-rails are firmer when connected by a brake-rod 40to resist lateral displacement. The invention is applicable to otherthan railway-cars and may be applied to any vehicle on which the samemay be conveniently attached and is an'efficient device for instantapplication when other means for arresting the movement of a car orvehicle have failed. 7

It is obvious that the brake-shoes may b IIO lowered in position.

Having fully described my invention, what I now claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a wheel-brake, separate forward and rear brake-blocks, adjacent tothe periphery of the wheel, a sleeve supported above the wheel, a yokemovable within the sleeve, and suspensory devices yieldingly connectedwith the yoke, and also connected with the brakeblocks.

2. In a wheel-brake, separate forward and rear brake-blocks adjacent tothe periphery of the wheel, a sleeve supported above the wheel, a yokemovable within the sleeve,

hinged supporting -plates for the brakeblocks, connected with the yoke,and a yokeoperating rod yieldingly connected with the yoke.

3. In a vehicle, the combination with the body of the vehicle, of asleeve having an upwardly-curved lower, inner side portion, a curvedplate or yoke within the sleeve, means for connecting the sleeve withthe body of the vehicle,outwardly-curved suspensory plates, hinged tothe ends of the plate, within said sleeve, and brake-blocks connectedwith the lower ends of the suspensory plates, lugs upon the plate withinsaid sleeve a brake-rod pivotally connected with said lugs, and aseparate brake-rod connected with the brake-shoe.

4. The combination with a railway car truck, and the track-rails, of aforward and rear wheel brake-shoes normally suspended above thetrack-rails adjacent to the periphery of the car-wheels, and providedwith flanges in the lower, inner side of the shaft, rods conn ectingthebrake-shoes above the separate rails, a sleeve on the under side of thetruck-frame above the car-wheels having upwardly curved lower inner sideportions, flanges connecting the sleeves with the truckframe, a slidablecurved plate or yoke within the sleeve, outwardly -'curved, suspensoryplates, hinged to the ends of the curved plate within the said sleeveand connected at their lower ends with the outer end of the brakeshoes,and separate brake shoe -operating rods, one being pivotally connectedwith the curved plate in the sleeve, and the other with the rodconnecting one brake-shoe with the other, and means for securing thebrake-rod operating the plate in the sleeve from accidental movement.

SAMUEL H. GRADEN.

. 'Witnesses:

THEODORE O. SPARKS, ANDREW D. GRESHAM.

